WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After addressing the Board of Trustees about issues such as student loans, Penn State President Graham Spanier was interrupted by student protesters.
Three members of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) traveled to the meeting to ask Spanier about the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), a plan for universities designed to ensure that local apparel is not produced in sweatshops.
The protesters stood up from their seats and revealed white T-shirts with the letters "D," "S" and
"P" as Spanier began his presentation to the Board.
After the trustees finished asking Spanier questions about his report, Anna Brewer (freshman-comparative literature and painting) interrupted Spanier.
Spanier took Brewer's question and reiterated his previous stance on the DSP.
"This is not an open forum. This is a meeting for the Board of Trustees for Penn State," Spanier said. "Our approach here will be that we will consider joining that if it comes about, and if it meets other Penn State criteria."
In an interview conducted after they had left the meeting, the protesters said they want the university to join the DSP so the Penn State representative who attends DSP meetings can vote.
"Unless they've signed on to the DSP, they have no voting privileges," Brewer said.
Protestor Chris Stevens (freshman-sociology) said he hopes the protesters' presence will show Spanier the commitment they have to their cause. In November, Stevens was fined $330.43 for writing anti-sweatshop messages in chalk on a sidewalk on campus.
In an interview after the trustees' schedule for the day had concluded, Spanier said he did not mind the protesters' presence.
"I was very pleased that they were polite and respectful to the trustees," he said. "Their message, of course, I've heard before, and I'm not sure it was necessary for them to make the trip."
During his address to the Board, Spanier was particularly concerned with the recent "sub-prime mortgage crisis."
Spanier said the problem has affected student loan availability most recently with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency's (PHEAA) decision to stop in-state lending.
Spanier stressed that the university is taking all possible measures to ensure tuition affordability. Penn State has been working with the U.S. Department of Education and has joined the Federal Direct Loan Program.
Student trustee Galen Foulke, a student at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, expressed concern that students might not fully understand the new program for student loans.
"We put out a news release already about it. It's been covered not even just statewide, but nationally," Spanier said. "We're putting more people on the phones. We're extending the hours of the student aid office."
Spanier told the trustees that Penn State took action to avoid being caught off guard by a larger crisis in the future.
"We can't wait for the rest of the world to solve their problems ... " he said. "If students don't show up because they're not sure how the bills are going to be paid, that's going to affect our enrollments, and that's our single largest source of income."
At a alumni reception held last night in the Mayflower Hotel's Grand Ballroom, 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW., after the meeting, student groups Penn State Ghaamudyaz Raas and R.A.M. (Raw Aesthetic Movement) Squad performed spirited dance routines. Both groups incorporated the "We are ... " chant into their performances.
